Hey folks! With new features abounding about Bane coming to "Gotham", Carpenter talking a Matt Reeves THEY LIVE sequel, and some great new teasers, I'm back with-- you guessed it-- more CATS news, and once again from Deadline Hollywood!
It seems the speculation that Sir Ian McKellan would be playing Old Deuteronomy in the film was wrong; Dame Judi Dench has taken over the role of the leader of the Jellicle cats, and it's been confirmed that McKellan will play Gus, the Theatre Cat.
This actually makes some sense to me; Old Deuteronomy is a very key figure, and although McKellan does have a rather good singing voice, Dench is well known for her work on stage in musicals, most notably Sondheim's "A Little Night Music"; Sondheim was on record as saying that Dench's version of "Send in the Clowns" was his favorite. She does not have the strongest possible voice, but she is a master thespian with enormous abilities to tie the singing into the performance. I'm not sure motion capture could even do that justice.
So, in review... we've got Taylor Swift and James Corden very likely as some of the minor standouts.... and Jennifer Hudson playing the aging Grizabella, struggling for her chance to be redeemed... and they've gender-swapped Old Deuteronomy with Judi Dench playing her, and they've brought in Idris Elba to play Macavity, who will kidnap and then IMPERSONATE her... so, yeah. that's a hell of a project.
I'm really looking forward to seeing some key art for this film, to find out how the cats will be performed: in Broadway make-up or as CGI cats. The more interesting this adaptation gets by cast alone, the more I feel I'll have to see it, anyway it comes. But I'd sure love to be a spy in Tom Hooper's camp as he plans this one.
-- Precious Roy
